change

Even though I typically work with women over 50, I’ve noticed lately that I have begun to attract an increasing number of people in financial difficulties, an area I’m familiar with, both professionally and personally.

Mostly, the problem has to do with fear about the future because often, redundancies affect older people so they worry not only about losing the job but whether or not they might find another suitable job – by suitable they mean, similar level and pay. Unfortunately, whether we

Today I’m privileged to share with you the wisdom and the gift of a dear friend of mine, writer and performer, Yang-May Ooi. Aged 52, she’s is taking to the West End stage for the first time her personal story. Yang-May is an award-winning TEDx speaker, bestselling author and acclaimed story performer. Take a look at her website www.StoryGuru.co.uk.

Here she speaks of her background, what brought her to this point in her life and why she’s compelled to share her story.

Did you know that the quality of your environment – where you live, what you do, the friends you have, how you get on with your family, in short, your life and all your relationships – they all start in your head, with your thoughts.

Your thoughts are a reflection of how you see yourself, whether you like and trust yourself or not, how you perceive other people and how you interpret everything that happens to you.

I had a hugely significant experience a few years ago. I’d been struggling to build my coaching practice and kept thinking, “I don’t know what else to do!; nothing I do works!”

In order to keep learning and growing, we need to expand our comfort zone. Everybody knows that, right?

But then I came across this article that suggests that stepping beyond our comfort zone can not only be hard work but it can also be very uncomfortable, at least until we master whatever we wanted to learn.

That’s what it’s usually like to climb our learning curve, be it learning to drive, learning a new language or learning how to create better relationships.

The more we want something, the more we’re likely to be determined to succeed. And that’s

Ever since I decided to work with senior and professional people nearing retirement – who are dreading it, I started a process of my own around my own age – 67. Although nothing in me fits any of the criteria as dictated by social norms such as appearance (I’m blessed with great genes), health and wellbeing, and the way I think and act, I was still wondering “is this it?”

I will always remember my coach telling me, when we first started working together, “When you change, your whole life will change”. At the time I had no idea what he meant but now, of course, I know this to be absolutely true. The question I found myself asking was “how am I supposed to know what needs to be changed?”

If you can honestly say that there is absolutely nothing in your life that upsets you, no relationships that make you feel frustrated or resentful, nothing in your life that you wish were different,then I’m truly delighted for you. However, the fact that you are reading this suggests that there is something that isn’t quite as you would like it to be.

Initiating change, I used to believe, would be positive and enjoyable but, in my experience, that was not always the case.

Here is an example of one particular life change I initiated (subconsciously) over a year before I took the actual step.

It was Sunday evening, and with Monday beckoning I had an unexpected and unwanted thought: “My work doesn’t fulfil me anymore.” I dismissed it instantly: “This is most inconvenient, go away!” I was 60 and planned to work until I was 65. I had a prestigious job at the Institute of Directors and I earned a very good salary.